Three
distinguished professors comprise this year’s slate. Marc Lynch, associate
professor of political science and international affairs and director of the
Institute for Middle East Studies at the Elliott School of International
Affairs at George Washington University, opens the series on Sept. 13.

Lynch will
be followed on Oct. 1 by Antoinette WinklerPrins, associate professor of
geography at Michigan State University and program director of the National
Science Foundation’s Geography and Spatial Science Program.

The fall
schedule concludes on Oct. 25 with the annual George Tayloe Ross Address on
International Peace. This year’s speaker will be Jeffrey Kopstein, professor of
political science and director of the Centre for Jewish Studies at the
University of Toronto.

“The Reves Center is proud to partner with these
departments and programs in sponsoring the fall 2012 Reves Lecture Series,”
said Stephen E. Hanson, vice provost for international affairs and director of
the Reves Center. “Bringing world class speakers like these to William
& Mary helps to broaden our global understanding, and contributes directly
to the internationalization of our university.”

Lynch’s Sept.
13 speech will take place at 5 p.m. in the Sadler Center’s Commonwealth
Auditorium and is entitled “The Arab Uprising: The Unfinished Revolutions of
the New Middle East.” It is based on his new book and will explore the wave of
popular protest in the Middle East now known as "the Arab Spring,”
focusing on the struggles from Tunisia and Egypt to the battles of Yemen,
Bahrain, Syria and Libya and the cautious reforms of the region's monarchies.
Lynch will also examine the real meaning of the rise of Islamist movements in
the emerging democracies, and the long-term hopes of a generation of activists
confronted with the limits of their power.

On Oct. 1 at
3p.m. in the School of Education’s Holly Room, WinklerPrins will lecture on
“Black Earths: Conservation and Development in Amazonia.” She will discuss the
role of fertile black earths in Amazonia, which had have in part been created
by human activity, and how they can be a rich resource if conserved and used
wisely in modern development.

Kopstein’s
Oct. 25 appearance will take place at 6:30 p.m. in Washington Hall, Room 201,
and focus on “Why Neighbors Kill Neighbors: The Political Origins of
Anti-Jewish Violence.” Kopstein will discuss his latest research on the
Holocaust in Eastern Europe and its implications for our contemporary
understanding of the dynamics of genocide.

“Great
universities complement classroom teaching with such public events that are
open to the entire campus and the community,” said Mike Tierney, director of
the International Relations program and co-director of the Institute for the
Theory and Practice of International Relations. “I’m thrilled that the Reves
Center is doing more of this and can’t wait to attend these events.”